On April 28, 2021, the United Nations designated July 25 as World Drowning Prevention Day , a serious Public Health problem all year round, throughout the planet.
According to a document prepared by the Argentine Society of Pediatrics (SAP), in our country, during 2021, 281 deaths due to drowning were reported, of which 108 corresponded to children under 19 years of age. The figures are equivalent to a child or adolescent drowning every 3 days .
“The numbers that we have and disclose are only fatal drownings, a very small portion of the total,” clarifies a statement from the SAP, and then adds that drowning often does not cause death, but generates serious consequences for the patient, the family and the health system. “We can all drown in 10 cm of any liquid if the systems that allow us to react and free the airway fail. The causes in each age group are different: the youngest ones due to distraction by adults and defects in the infrastructure, the older ones due to recklessness, lack of knowledge of the environment, use of substances that alter decision making,” the text adds.
Children under 5 years of age are divided into two groups: those who do not move alone and those who do. Children under one year old, who do not walk, drown in the bathtub or pool when the adult is distracted. Those who walk or crawl can fall into a bucket of water, an uncovered well, a small pool, or a house or neighbor pool without an adequate protective fence. The canals, the irrigation ditches, and the drinking troughs on the farm are permanent scenes of risk situations.
The attentive and close look of a responsible adult is the most effective measure for prevention. An adequate environment must be added to this attitude of care. Learning to swim and responsible attitudes in the water are complementary skills, extremely useful to improve the chances of avoiding injuries and deaths in the aquatic environment.
To reduce the numbers of these episodes you need:
• Conscious and committed adults who understand the dangers of the environment, adapt it to the presence of children and educate them to behave near and in water.
• Safe environments and clear signs that are respected.
• Aquatic environments with information and adequate supervision in number and equipment.
• Sufficient and trained personnel and infrastructure at all levels of the health system for immediate care and the detection and treatment of sequelae.
• Periodic campaigns that raise awareness in the population, including teaching CPR.
“Preventable drownings occur at any time throughout the year all over the planet. To avoid this, our commitment as a society is needed. It can happen to any of us: all you need is a liquid medium, a favorable condition and a human being,” concludes the SAP statement.
